Saturday, 28 February 2015

Next Project...

Apart from my favourite teal and turquoise, another colour I like wearing is RED. Bright cherry red makes me happy (with a note of blue in it, definitely not going towards orange).

While I was away in January, I started on a crochet cardigan. The back and fronts are all done in one piece and then you just need to add the sleeves. The only problem was that the pattern was written for short sleeves and the pieces are crocheted sideways (the back and fronts too). A short sleeve is just straight but a long sleeve has to be tapered to the wrist. I tried picking up the stitches around the armholes and crocheting down but the stitch is then worked the other way and I didn't like how it looked. So I had to draw the whole sleeve on a piece of paper and just try to follow the shape as I go, increasing repeats of the motif where necessary. This is my third attempt at making the sleeves! I hope it works out right this time. I'm feeling hopeful.

So here is it, in progress, I'm about halfway through the first sleeve. I also added a collar that wasn't in the pattern so it can be worn up as in the first photo, or turned down as in the second, for more of a jacket look.

I really like the stitch.

The texture, and the look of it.

It also grows fairly quickly as it's trebles.

Not sure what closures I will use on this but all of a sudden I'm thinking that tatted frogs could look quite cool. What do you think?

That's a pretty complicated project - staying in pattern and doing all that shaping on the sleeves and collar! Beautiful color and versatile changes to the basic design. And a lovely and unusual 'shell' pattern. The frog closures will be the perfect touch! Knitting and crocheting have evolved quite a bit in the last few years, with new yarns, techniques and patterns.

That's a beautiful shade of red, and I love the stitch you're using! I'm afraid I'd give up if I had to figure out a different sleeve, and then there's the added collar. I'm impressed! I can't wait to see the finished product!

Joelle I feel your pain. I do hope you get the sleeve worked out. You've put a lot of work into this and it will be beautiful when finished. I also like the frog closure and I think it will complement the design well. Hang in there...